His Paladin Read online

  “Do you need lunch?” I asked.

  “Oh, lunch, too?” Her voice was overjoyed. “Yes, please! And some for Dad! And Roux!”

  That would be easy enough. “Got it. I’ll bring lunch with us.” Miller was joining in with Nguyen’s waving, now, Perez shaking her head at them both with an expression that was equal parts weary and fond, the woman at the register staring at all three of them in confusion. “All right, Nicole. We’ll be there soon.”

  “Bye!” she chirruped, and hung up. A message appeared on the screen, stating I’d just missed a call from Roux, but when I tried to return it, it went straight to his voicemail. Hopefully, whatever he needed could be resolved when I arrived at Lochmire. I shoved my phone back into my pocket, jogging over to meet them and pay for our things. From there, we continued on our way to Lochmire, pausing just long enough for me to drop off the squad to pick out a good pile of six-foot submarine sandwiches at the closest deli and a number of various utensils from a nearby grocery store.

  And while they were doing that, I needed to make one more important stop.

  I stepped out of the car, making my way down the familiar path, passing rows of gravestones, leaves crunching underfoot. I stopped at Grace’s headstone, brushing away a few fallen leaves.

  “Hey, Grace,” I said, “I can’t stay long. But I wanted to...talk about something you said.”

  A small breeze gently shook the few remaining leaves in the trees around me. I smiled, tried to swallow down the thick lump that appeared in my throat, and continued.

  “The month after we got married, we...talked about what would happen if the worst would ever come to pass. I don’t think either of us ever thought it would, but you insisted it was a conversation we should have. I told you I didn’t think I would ever be able to move on. And you...you looked me dead in the eye and told me, ‘I’d want you to be happy, whether you wanted to be or not.’”

  “So once I felt like I finally, finally could, years after...you were gone, I tried dating. But nobody...nobody stuck. It never got far, never felt right, and things would always drift apart.”

  “Raine…” I paused. “Raine feels right.”

  Saying the words out loud made me realize how true they were. Raine and I -- the two of us, together -- was more important to me than anything else in the world. It was something special, something real: worth fighting for.

  And dealing with Raine’s irritable control-freak tendencies for.

  I sighed, scratching my forehead. “He’s definitely stubborn. Pigheaded to the point of ruining everything around him trying to fix it all himself. And he needs to learn he can rely on people, instead of pushing everyone away, if there’s going to be any hope of stopping him drive himself crazy. But when he’s not trying to take on the entire world alone, he makes me happy, Grace.” I stopped, swallowing hard. “He makes me so happy.”

  Years and years ago, in an old kitchen, in an old life, Grace had given me a lopsided smile, held my hand in hers. “I would never want you to be a martyr to a ghost, Quinn,” she had told me, and then she had squeezed my hand, hard. “Even if you were determined to be one.”

  I closed my eyes at the memory, smiling, a little. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, and I let them fall, breathed in the chill of the late-fall air, felt the warmth of a brilliant sun on my face. Grace would always be a part of me -- an important part -- but she had always wanted me to live a life of joy, even if she was gone.

  Finally, wiping away the last of my tears and clearing my throat, I continued. “Anyway, that’s...all I had to tell you. Today’s the big event at Lochmire. I hope I’ll have good news for you soon.”

  I knelt down, just as I had so many times before, kissing the tips of my fingers, feeling the warm stone under my skin when I pressed them to her headstone.

  “Goodbye, Grace,” I whispered, and then, taking a shaking, steadying breath, walked back to the car.

  The first thing that caught my eye as we pulled in was the enormous banner that hung over the main storefront, the words “Lochmire - Site of the Last Battle” painted in a brilliant neon green, that, while not really aesthetically pleasing, certainly made it easy to spot from the highway. As we drew closer, I was pleased to notice that the parking lot was almost completely full as we pulled in: the event definitely bringing in the audience that Raine had hoped for. As we exited my car, supplies in hand, I headed towards the registration kiosk to get a sitrep of how things were going. The trio were staring quizzically at the eclectic gaggle of various costumed individuals that were now populating Lochmire as we waded into the crowds, more people on the grounds than I had ever seen since I had first met Raine.

  Along with the enormous number of people, I noticed several wooden stands had been erected across the front portion of the main field. They looked like little store kiosks, odd assortments of bottles, trinkets, and flashy jewelry hanging from small displays. The largest of the stands was right next to the parking lot, a long, winding line extending out from it. As I approached, the trio at my heels, I noticed everyone in line was shifting impatiently, uneasy conversation being spoken in hushed, uncertain voices. Gently pushing myself through the bulk of the congregation, I walked up to the front of the line, where I saw a frazzled, hopeless looking Roux tapping desperately at a tablet in front of him, clearly growing more and more upset with every passing second. He glanced up at the sound of my footsteps and did the smallest of double-takes when he recognized me, his expression instantly clearing into obvious relief.

  “Where’s Raine?” I asked him. Roux pointed towards the main building.

  “Inside with Nicole. And in really bad shape. But I think that’ll change as soon as he sees you.” He smiled, but just for a moment, turning his attention back to the tablet, the man waiting at the head of the line -- dressed in full armor and wielding what I recognized as a morningstar -- tapping his foot, looking beyond irritated.

  Roux sighed. “Sorry, sir -- let me just try one more thing.”

  The man frowned. “I’ve been waiting here for forty-five minutes, now,” he grumbled. “Isn’t the event about to start?”

  “Oh, hey!” Nguyen stepped up behind me, looking over at Roux’s tablet. “That’s the same system we use.” He grimaced as he read the error message, hissing through his teeth in sympathy. “Not working, huh? Did you force an update?”

  Roux blinked at him. “It doesn’t update on its own?”

  “Nah, you gotta tell it to. And it never tells you when it needs to, either, of course, being the advanced piece of technology that it is.” Nguyen tapped on the tablet screen, navigating to a previously hidden menu, pressing the “Update” button. Roux watched breathlessly as Nguyen waited a moment, nodding in satisfaction, and motioned for Roux to enter the login credentials. He did, wincing as he pressed the “login” button.

  It logged him in.

  Roux jumped up and immediately pulled Nguyen into a quick, bone-crushing hug. Obviously surprised, Nguyen offered a weak smile and a quick, awkward pat on the back. I just barely managed to change my laugh into a polite cough. Perez and Miller didn’t bother, bursting out in loud guffaws, the man at the head of the line looking more baffled than ever at whatever was transpiring in front of him.

  “You just saved my life,” Roux told him, pulling away, his voice filled with complete and utter sincerity and tight with emotion.

  “Uh, no problem?” Nguyen replied, giving me a questioning look. Oh, right.

  Belated introductions were better than no introductions. I gestured between them. “Nguyen, this is Roux. Roux, Nguyen. Roux’s second in command, here.”

  “Good to meet you,” Roux said, his face breaking into a long, familiar grin. “And thank you a million times over. Seriously.”

  Nguyen laughed. “No need to thank me. This system is a real piece of --” He cut himself off, catching sight of my frown. “Uh, a real...piece of work.”

  The man at the front of the line cleared his throat. Roux blinked at h
im.

  “Oh, right!” He scrambled back into his chair. “Sorry about that, sir. Let me log you in, here…” His fingers moved rapidly across the screen and Roux continued to smile, his progress free and clear without the errors.

  “Is there a second tablet, Roux?” I asked. He nodded, pausing just for a moment to pull another tablet out of a backpack by his feet. I took it from him as he quickly finished the first registration for the Last Battle at Lochmire, cheerfully calling for the next person in line.

  I handed the tablet to Nguyen. “Give Roux a hand with getting everyone registered for the event,” I told him. Nguyen’s shoulders sagged.

  “I gotta work with the system on Fun Day?” he whined, sitting next to Roux when I retrieved another folding chair, tapping half-heartedly at his tablet when he sat down. Miller chuckled, Perez rolling her eyes. I turned to both of them, pointing at another kiosk area with a separate line, where I spotted Kate and Kurt picking through a meager selection of costuming accessories.

  “You two head over that way with the costuming supplies,” I instructed them. “Tell Kurt and Kate I sent you, and you have what they need.”

  The two of them snapped me a pair of quick salutes. “Yes, sir,” they replied, in perfect unison. They gathered up the bags of costuming supplies and jogged over to the kiosk.

  Just one thing left to do.

  I gave most of the sub to Roux, who gratefully shoved it in his mouth mid-registration, telling me that he’d let everyone know food was here as soon as he could. With three pieces in hand, I strode over to the Lochmire main office, pushing open the door.

  Raine sat like a stone in a small chair, holding his head in his hands, Nicole patting at his knee, her face sad. She looked up at the jingling bell when I entered, lighting up like a tiny sun when she saw me.

  “Quinn!” she shrieked joyfully, running up and throwing her arms around my legs. I mussed at her hair, laughing, her grin infectious.

  “I made it here,” I told her. “Just like I promised.” I grabbed a portion of the sandwich, handing it to her waiting hands. “And I brought lunch.”

  “You’re a hero,” Nicole mumbled gratefully, her mouth already full.

  “I’m not a hero yet. There’s still a lot to do.” I glanced up at Raine, who was staring at me in utter disbelief. I smiled, and watched his eyes fill with tears, sympathy squeezing my heart like a fist.

  I looked back at Nicole, almost halfway through her sandwich in record time. “Would you go see Roux for me?” I asked her. “I have to talk to your dad about something.”

  Nicole nodded, bolting out the door towards Roux, expertly weaving through the long line. I watched her go until I confirmed she was next to Roux, and then I turned to Raine.

  “Hey,” I said, softly.

  For a long moment, neither of us moved; I was barely even breathing, Raine’s stare boring right through me, the air thick with tension. And then, with a rough, strangled sob, Raine sprang up from his chair and wrapped his arms around me, tight and fierce. I hugged him back, running my hand soothingly through his hair, his tears staining my shirt, his body shuddering. My heart broke, filling with a gentle warmth I hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

  “I’m here, Raine,” I murmured, pressing a kiss onto the top of his head. “It’s okay.”

  Raine made a choked noise that was almost a laugh. “I can’t believe you showed up,” he said hoarsely, pulling away briefly to wipe at his eyes and sniffling. “I treated everyone like shit, Quinn. I treated you like shit. And it doesn’t even matter because everything’s going to hell and I’m so, so sorry --” He hiccuped, tears pouring down his face, and I pulled him close again, the brilliant lightness in my chest terribly, achingly soft.

  “It’s okay.” When he glanced up at me, raising a skeptical eyebrow, I couldn’t help but laugh. “It is okay, I promise. Nguyen already got the registration system back up and running for Roux.”

  Raine pulled back to stare at me, wide-eyed. “H-how?”

  “It’s not too different from what we use back on the base, actually.”

  Raine shook his head, heaved a short, sniffling chuckle. “Already a miracle worker. I can’t believe you came back to help me at all, after the way I treated you.”

  “Well, coming back to help you when you need me is what boyfriends are supposed to do, right?”

  This time Raine’s laugh was clear, and he nuzzled into my chest, as though he was trying to bring us even closer together somehow. “Yeah,” he said, between sniffles, “I guess so.”

  For a long while, I simply held him, stroking his hair, until Raine pulled away from my chest with a long, relieved sigh, staring up at me, his eyes filled with affection.

  “Who called you?” he asked, furrowing his brow.

  “Nicole,” I answered. “She, uh, borrowed your phone. And your to-do list.”

  Raine smiled fondly. “Ah. I guess I should’ve known. It was either that or I was definitely having the worst day in my entire life.”

  “Well, I’m here to help you now.”

  Raine sighed, but his smile remained. “And I sure as hell need that help, Quinn.”

  I chuckled, staring into his soft hazel eyes, pushing a loose lock of hair off of his forehead. He cupped my face in his hands, stroking my cheeks softly, and yanked me down into a kiss that was equal parts sweet and searing, the warmth in my chest exploding like a firework, sparking and brilliant and beautiful.

  “Now, I don’t want to alarm you,” Raine said breathlessly, after we reluctantly parted. “But we have a shit ton of things that still need to be done.” I laughed, bright and loud.

  “Swear jar!” a small voice piped up behind us. We both turned around in surprise, Nicole beaming at us and Roux grinning right beside her, both of them standing by the door.

  Raine smiled at her, leaving me and crouching down in front of her, and, sighing, produced two quarters, holding them up in front of her. Nicole shoved them aside, leaping at her dad, arms wrapped around his neck, laughing in delight as he picked her up off the ground, spinning her in a circle.

  “The event’s about to start,” Roux told us both, looking between the two of us, his grin showing no sign of fading anytime soon. I nodded, glancing at Raine. He nodded back in reply, a contented smile on his face, Nicole happily snuggling into his shoulder.

  It was time to get to work.

  18

  Raine

  I stood in front of the third and final weapon rack, taking note of what we had and counting out what we still needed.

  “More longswords,” I said, nodding confidently. “We’re good on arrows and daggers; the rest of the shields need to be brought out from the back room.”

  “Already on it,” Quinn replied, tying on the last red ribbon to complete the set of daggers. He gave me a quick-half smile and then jogged away, heading towards the main office to grab the shields. Behind me, I could hear the excited murmuring of the bustling crowd, all of them successfully registered, ready to pick up any rental equipment they needed. Putting our heads together, we decided the best course of action was dividing up the weapons and equipment racks by character class, making it easy for new players to know what they were allowed to wield and a simple process for experienced players to grab just what they needed.

  “All right everyone!” I announced to the crowd, turning to face the sea of eager faces in front me, dressed in chainmail, leather armor, long dwarven beards and elf ears. “We’re just grabbing the last pieces of equipment for Fighters, but Rogues, Wizards, Druids, and Barbarians can come get what they need now.” I indicated the racks by pointing at each of three small signs, the class names inscribed on them in a bright neon green letters, impossible to miss. “And friendly reminder that if your weapon is damaged, even if it’s not one we’ve provided, repairs can be done are free at the registration kiosk. You’re of course welcome to use a rental as a replacement to get right back in the action.”

  People started moving forward, hefting da
ggers and picking out colored beanbags and picking up blocky, foam tipped arrows, some of them testing the weights of their weapons with a couple of practice swings in the air. Quinn returned with the shields, dividing them out into separate stacks for the Fighters, Clerics, and Paladins. The air was filled with excited chatter and laughter. Old, young, families, couples -- there were so many different people here, all of them at Lochmire, already having the time of their lives.

  This is what I wanted, I realized with a jolt, and I couldn’t fight the smile spreading across my face even if I wanted to. This is what I always wanted Lochmire to be.

  Quinn came up to my side, watching the crowd himself. “You really did something great here, Raine,” he said, his voice soft but still easy to hear through the noise of the crowd. The words buoyed my heart, impossibly light, full to bursting.

  “We did something great here,” I corrected him, and reached out to take his hand, lacing his fingers with mine. We stood there together for a while, hand in hand, a little island of calm in the sea of activity all around us.

  Quinn reluctantly released my hand. “I’ve got to go get ready,” he said.

  “Me too.” My gaze wandered across the expanse of Lochmire. “I’m going to take a little walk around though, first, if that’s cool. I’ll meet you in the main office.”

  Quinn nodded. “Sounds good.” He leaned in close, then, giving me a quick, sweet kiss on the cheek that rooted me to the spot. “See you soon,” he murmured in my ear, and left me with a parting smile.

  As soon as I could get my legs working again, I started walking around the field, Eric and a few other volunteers assisting any newcomers with their weapon selections and pointing the veterans in the right direction. I spotted Quinn’s trio of the soldiers under his command he had introduced to me a little earlier by Kate and Kurt’s kiosk, now fully stocked thanks to Quinn’s efforts, the three of them putting on the last of their finishing touches to their costumes.

  Perez was fixing one of her pointed elf ears, and after glancing in a nearby mirror and apparently satisfied with her handiwork, she started smoothing down her clinging dark green tunic and matching leggings. Miller’s bright red dwarf beard was only halfway properly on his face, apparently too distracted by Perez’s new outfit to get it on right, Nguyen elbowing him playfully in the ribs to get him to snap out of it as Nguyen haphazardly pulled on his own chainmail.